From TikTok to Torah: How One Young Woman Found Faith and a New Life

Adva Postagi looks back on the life she lived before becoming religiously observant and describes it as ordinary and lacking a deeper sense of meaning.

“I was in a relationship with a guy who didn’t respect or appreciate me, and I thought that was simply how things were supposed to be,” she recalls. “When I was struggling, I had no one to turn to for guidance because I didn’t know what Da’at Torah was. In the morning, you woke up without saying the morning blessings. You just got up.

“Shabbat was uneventful and boring, just another day you had to find a way to pass. That was my life: wake up, go to work, come home, sleep, and feel bored. Shabbat especially had no meaning for me. I had no idea what Shabbat was or what genuine oneg Shabbat, the pleasure of Shabbat, could feel like. Weekends meant parties, clubs, and bars. Life felt ordinary and empty. But something inside me kept telling me that it wasn’t supposed to be this way.”

What did you think about Judaism and religious Jews before becoming observant?

“I grew up in a home that was considered traditional, but nothing more. I didn’t understand girls who dressed modestly. To me, the religious world seemed primitive. We were told that religious people got married after just a few dates, and I couldn’t understand it.

“When you live in a secular environment, much of the information you receive about religious and Haredi society comes through stereotypes. I thought it was a primitive world, and I never imagined that one day I would become part of it.”

Interestingly, the young man Adva was dating began growing stronger in his Jewish observance, and about a year ago, she began following his example. Watching Hidabroot videos on TikTok strengthened her connection even further, something that she would later come to see as profoundly important in her own life.

“When I watch videos that help me overcome sadness through a Jewish perspective, I feel as though someone is speaking directly to me,” she says.

What did you feel when you watched the first video?

“I felt like someone was talking to me and trying to give me a message. A video might appear when I’m feeling sad, and suddenly it feels as though it has read my thoughts. It speaks directly to what I’m going through.

“I used to think that if I was sad, I needed to drink alcohol or go to a club to get out of that feeling. But when I watch videos that help me deal with sadness through Judaism, I feel as though someone is speaking specifically to me, to Adva. Someone is telling me exactly what I need to hear.”

After three years, the relationship came to an end. Adva subsequently learned that the young man had left religious observance. Through a video by Rabbi Zamir Cohen, she came to the conclusion that the relationship had not been right for her. More than that, she says that the religious inspiration she had gained from Hidabroot’s social media content helped her remain positive rather than allowing the breakup to overwhelm her.

“What strengthens me is knowing that I can go onto social media and, instead of watching some meaningless breakup video, I can watch Rabbi Zamir Cohen speak about finding one’s spouse and about the importance of a person’s actions in determining the kind of match they receive.

“When I was struggling after the relationship ended, one of Rabbi Zamir’s videos helped me understand that there was no reason to cry over it. I had taken upon myself shmirat negiah, attending Torah classes, and growing in my observance. And the guy? He was going to parties and clubs. I could see what the rabbi was saying with my own eyes: the Creator had moved him away from me, and with Hashem’s help, He will bring me a husband who is strong in his commitment to mitzvot.”

Many Jews are still deeply immersed in TikTok and remain far removed from Judaism. Hidabroot’s digital initiative seeks to reach them through the platforms where they already spend their time.

How did the people around you react when they saw you becoming more connected to Judaism?

“My mother was very happy, although Shabbat was difficult for her. I live with my father, and my parents are divorced, so getting to my mother on Shabbat became more complicated.

“My father wasn’t particularly for it or against it. My friends had a harder time because I stopped going to clubs and bars. They saw me wearing skirts, and on Thursday nights I would go to Torah classes. But they also saw how much I had changed for the better, and that reassured them.”

Where do you think you would be today if you had not become religiously observant?

“Given what I went through after the breakup, I think I would have been in a very bad place. I don’t think I could have gotten through it without the guidance of my rebbetzin and the videos I watched.

“I believe I would have been in clubs and completely broken. Without my connection to Judaism, I would be less happy, have less faith, show less respect to my parents, and be angrier and more pessimistic. Without Judaism, I would be in a bad place, a very bad place. I’m certain of that.”

Adva concludes with a message about reaching young Jews where they are.

“There are many teenagers and young adults who are unlikely to discover Judaism through the Hidabroot website, magazine, or television channel, because they spend most of their time on TikTok and other social media platforms. At best, they are watching meaningless content; at worst, they are being exposed to harmful content.

“The more inspiring Hidabroot videos there are on social media, the greater the chance that teenagers and young adults will encounter Judaism and that their lives can change for the better, just as mine did.

“A huge thank-you to Hidabroot for this new initiative.”